A Goddess's Arena
by FierySprites
Summary: Liz has gone off to participate in a tournament of some sort, and naturally, I followed her to it. I… didn't expect for it to be a gathering of Persona-users—least of all including my old friends. Will I be able to make it through the P-1 Grand Prix without embarrassing myself? God, I hope so… [P4 Arena AU, Minato is Marie, 'A Goddess in Reality' Fic]
1. Prologue: Intro to a New Fray

**A Goddess's Arena**

 _ **Prologue  
**_ _Intro to a New Fray_

(Uploaded on August 30, 2018)

* * *

 **Notes:** This fic serves as a sort of sequel to one of my past stories, **A Goddess in Reality** (which you should probably read first), and takes place during the events of _Persona 4 Arena._ _Persona 4 Golden_ is not canon to this universe.

* * *

 **[Marie]**

 **The Great Seal**

"You know, I think we're being a little too harsh on Erebus," I casually commented, walking past an explosion that ineffectually erupted beside me.

"Nonsense!" Liz chimed; she and her grimoire floating around with the latter flipping through several pages. "Perhaps it is that we are being too easy on him! He should treat it as a wonderful learning time!—well, wonderful more for us than him."

Erebus roared at us, sounding like he really wanted to throw a tantrum, but we just ignored him. Liz is an eccentric ruler of power and I'm a virtual goddess; it'd take a lot more than him to faze either of us at this point. (Maybe something like... another endgame Wild Card. That seems about right.)

The former final boss sent plumes of ice at us next, but compared to the Bufudynes that Mitsuru packed, it'd be a practical no sell had I let them hit. A lazy sidestep later, I outstretched my palm and—with a cry of "Persona!"—crushed the tarot card that spawned. Behind me, Kaguya – my newly preferred Aeon Persona – appeared, and I pointed a finger right at Erebus's form. **"Shining Arrows!"**

Swords of golden light streaked from the sky and rained down all over Erebus, him roared in agony as every Bless-bearing hit pierced right through him. (That's the thing with being large; you're a much bigger target too.) "Oh ho, trying out your new Persona now, Marie?" Liz cheekily noted.

"Well, it's not as if Erebus can do anything to me or you, so I might as well get some practice in with Kaguya," I explained, my face sporting a sly smile. "I've been meaning to kick his butt, anyway." And honestly, using Erebus as a sort of testing grounds is a far better utility than he honestly deserves. Heavens knows he doesn't exactly do a lot other than aimlessly thrashing away at the Great Seal.

"You have a point. Very well—Thanatos!" The God of Death showed up before Erebus, clearly eager to cleave the manifestation of humanity's grief where he stood. Heh, still as bloodthirsty as ever, I see. "Show Erebus your Door to Hades now, hmm?"

Without another word, Thanatos unleashed several streaks of darkness that circled all about Erebus. They briefly dissipated into him, black lightning crackling about, before exploding in grandeur fashion. I was actually wishing Thanatos had that during my journey; it looked powerful as hell. At this point Erebus's four arms were bending down in exhaustion, his two heads doing its best to glare at us with all the hatred he could muster. "Looks like he's down," I snipped to Liz. Well, maybe not as down as I'd like, but it still works. "Let's hit him with an All-Out Attack!"

"Ooh, I like the way you think, Marie~!" my girlfriend said, landing down on her feet and closing her open Compendium. "Very well – let us show him his fate!" Clutching my own handbag (What? I've used weirder weapons), the two of us rushed in, and – true to form – engulfed the area in an unrealistic amount of dust, bashing Erebus's skeletal form as much as we could. His groans were drowned out by all our thwacks, and eventually we pulled out and watched as he succumbed to his injuries, a literal death cloud erupting where he stood. I grinned – that _never_ got old.

I should probably give you some backstory at some point. My name's **Mariko Kusumi**. I'm the wielder of the Universe Arcana and the avatar of Izanami. I also used to be **Minato Arisato** – though after my journey ended, I became the Great Seal. Technically, I still _am_ the Great Seal, but Liz managed to get me a new body to use, so – that's great! (As for why I'm a girl now, blame Izanami.)

You have no idea how much you appreciate being able to move and breathe and eat until you've been a rock guarding a door for a long time on end. It's seriously the greatest and I will never ever take it for granted ever again. Seriously. (How did I survive again?)

As for what we were just doing… You see, Erebus – as I've stated before – is the manifestation of humanity's grief, and so it's not exactly a good thing that he's lumbering about and trying to bring the end of the world as a result (not that he can; my old self's pretty sturdy as a blockade from his goal). So Liz (plus me, as of a few months ago) periodically comes in to beat the crap out of him. I'll admit, it's pretty nice to sharpen my Persona skills again after having spent so long in a not-quite-alive state.

"That felt great!" I admitted, my face sporting a wide smile. I made sure to check over my bag; make sure it wasn't too beaten up. Sure, Izanami made it pretty durable, but it never hurts to check. I mean, I keep a whole lot in there, after all.

"Yes, it certainly _was_ an experience now, wasn't it?" Liz agreed, her Compendium back to being held by her side. "It is a shame that Erebus does not feel the same way. I _would_ give him a takoyaki in—what was the word, now…" She put a finger to her chin in wonderment. "Crustacean? Cognation?"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'consolation'," I stated dryly.

"Ah! Yes! Consolation! A takoyaki in consolation. It is also a shame that he would not be able to eat it. Everyone should eat takoyaki at least once in their lifetime, don't you agree?"

"Sure, let's go with that." It's faster to just agree with her, really. "But you know… it _is_ weird how soon Erebus regenerated this time," I mentioned, adjusting the little cap on my head. Normally, it takes him a lot longer to do that. I would know, considering I was the Great Seal for quite a while, and counting his attacks was one of the few things I could do. "That was, what—only a couple months? Something must be going on in the real world for that to happen."

The real question is… what _was_ that something?

"Oh, that's right!" I looked at Liz as she spoke up – she seemed to have just remembered something. "I just remembered!" And there we go. "There's going to be a gathering of Persona-users today! It's for some sort of tournament, I gathered."

I blinked. "Huh. Really?" I'm no stranger to weird post-journey meet-ups; I mean, just last month the two of us were re-dumped back into Rei's massive Labyrinth and boy, that was an interesting time. Seeing how it's a bit too soon for another new Wild Card to have a journey (probably)… "Let me guess… This has something to do with the guys from Inaba?"

"My, that is correct! You're as sharp as ever, Marie." Knew it. I haven't been to Inaba myself, but the guys there _were_ the most recent group of Persona-users around, so it wasn't that hard to deduce. I've… technically met the crew, but that was during the Labyrinth, so they don't exactly remember that. Ah well.

"I myself scouted the meeting place just a few days ago; it is quite the intriguing set-up! Who knew there could be such a fascinating world behind a screen?" I'm… going to pretend I know what she's talking about with that last part. "An Anti-Shadow Weapon is involved, too – she very much reminded me of Aigis, actually."

"Another Anti-Shadow Weapon, huh? That certainly sounds interesting." The real question is—is this the same ASW that was with my teammates fighting Erebus, or someone completely different? Admittedly, the idea of another ASW is kind of strange to me – I mean, it's not like they activated a lot of ASWs back when I was alive? There was really only Aigis – and speaking of which, if this new ASW is anything like Aigis, I'm sure she'll be a treat. Eh, I'm sure I'll get used to it. "So, Liz… You headed for this tournament thing yourself?" I asked her next, though I already knew her answer.

"Of course!" she stated in her typical cheerful manner. "I can scarcely keep myself from getting involved in such a tremendous event! It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, after all! Besides, I'm sure I'll learn something interesting while I am at it."

I raised an eyebrow amusedly. "That's not a reason I'd put out myself, but… eh, I suppose it works." It's Elizabeth; I didn't expect anything different out of her. I didn't mind, honestly. Her eccentric nature has its own charm to it. "I hope you're ready for whatever tournament awaits, Liz," I commented.

"Oh, I'm sure that whatever awaits will not be too difficult!" Before us, Liz opened up one of her typical magic circles, which glowed a brilliant blue beneath our extraterrestrial surroundings. "Now," she proclaimed, "let us be off! We—or rather, I—have a date with destiny, as they say~!" Without further hesitation, Liz comically jumped into the portal, expressing a _"Wheeeeeeeee~!"_ as she went.

I smiled. "That's my Liz." Now, I have to ask myself – should I join her in whatever shenanigans she wants to do? I'm perfectly comfortable staying on the sidelines myself. Then again… it's not like I have a lot to do, after all. Ever since I came back to life, I mostly content myself with going along with what Liz wants to do (and I admit, it's not half-bad). Not to mention… I _am_ a little lacking in inspiration for my budding poetry skill.

And hey – I suppose if a new ASW is involved, that means that my old teammates will have to be there, too. I haven't really tried to connect back with them yet – I mean, I haven't been back for too long, and I've been focused on getting back into the swing of things, so to say. But now I have a real opportunity to see them again on my hands. You know, now I'm wondering how everyone's been. Junpei, Yukari, Fuuka, Akihiko, Mitsuru, Aigis, the rest of SEES…

"Ah, what the heck," I decided. I looked to the still-open portal Liz had made, and made my choice. "What's the harm in joining in? _Hey Liz, wait up!"_ I jumped in (albeit several seconds later) after my girlfriend, letting myself be transported along with her. To where, I didn't exactly know – something about a TV, I remembered – but that didn't really matter right now.

This reunion party's long overdue – time for us to see this through!

 _Here we go!_

* * *

 **I've really been meaning to do this for a while (if you've paid attention to the 'Future Ideas' list in my profile)… Marie!Minato in** _ **Persona 4 Arena!**_ **A real reunion with her and the Shadow Operatives is in order, methinks – even though it'll only be three of them, but it's still good.**

 **Of course, this means Marie will have her own battles to fight. You can bet your Yen she'll encounter Yu and at least one of the Shadow Operatives at some point – though the rest I'm still thinking over. That also means I'll have to write extended battle sequences, but I'll make do. Somehow. (Also it makes me cry how much P4 Arena's different routes contradict each other. Even Labrys' part contradicts Elizabeth's, what with the latter's supposed first meeting with Labrys. How high were the writers, seriously?)**

 **Somehow this chapter ended up being shorter than I expected. I would've put in Marie's first battle, but I didn't want to rush things. Sometimes shorter is sweeter, you know?**

 **Also yes, references to** _ **Persona Q.**_ **Because it's fun, and this Liz and Marie come from even later than the Investigation Team in this timeline, so what the heck. (As a side note,** _ **I can't wait for Persona Q2. It can't come any faster I swear)**_

 **Well, that's all for now – stay tuned for Marie's actual campaign!**


	2. Invisibly Divisible Battlefields

**A Goddess's Arena**

 _ **Chapter 1  
**_ _Invisibly Divisible Battlefields_

(Uploaded on September 4, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** The P-1 Grand Prix has officially begun! _Woo-hoo!_ And hey – I've already gotten an opponent to face off against! Isn't that just swell?

…hang on. _What_ is he saying about me!? Oh, he's in for it now!

* * *

 **[Marie]**

May 3rd, 2012 – Morning

 **False Yasogami High – Entrance**

My surroundings were an endless stream of white for some time, broken up only by black squares that circled around me. It was a little nauseating, if I must admit, what with the rapidly contrasting colors going over my gaze over and over. "Gee, is this normally supposed to be so long?" I asked myself quietly, narrowing my eyes in slight annoyance. And Yu and friends had to go through _this_ every time?

What is this, a loading screen?

Thankfully, the whole sequence came to an end a few seconds after, where I found myself unceremoniously landing on solid ground – not in a graceful manner; just a practical one, on my feet. Eh, it's good enough.

The foreground before me was much more colorful now – with a surprisingly bright sky, trees with blooming purple flowers, and a giant school building laid out in front of me. "Oh," I said, looking around. "It's Yasogami High. Again."

Technically, I haven't been here before – _technically_ – but Rei's Labyrinth copied the appearance of Yasogami High when it was active. As such, I had an… alright idea of what I could expect going in. From the outside looking in, the school looked pretty much the same as it had been in the Labyrinth – minus the school festival thing going on, of course. Instead, there seemed to be an influx of posters and police tape(-ish stuff) plastered all about; not to mention all the cameras watching over the area.

"So, this is the TV World the Investigation Team spoke of," I muttered. "It's a lot more spacious than I thought it would be. And a lot more uncreative with its environments." How come Tartarus couldn't be as un-claustrophobic as this? I'm feeling more jealous and jealous by the second. I took a closer look at the posters on the wall, too – for some reason, they all held the image of Teddie – clothed in a purple cape and a rather stylish hat – with a rather strange look on his face, accompanied by a logo that proclaimed this was the ' **P-1 Grand Prix** '.

"That's a look I never thought I'd see on Teddie…" I sniggered. "Wonder who blackmailed him into it." It was pretty bizarre – and hilarious. Teddie, the romantic pun-making teddy bear, being able to bear such a threatening face? Yeah, this was definitely going to be a treat.

"Well, enough dawdling around!" I proclaimed. "I've got a whatever's-happening-here to get into! I have no idea where to go, or really what to do… but I'll figure something out!" With a smile that would have once been considered uncharacteristic of me, I waltzed in through the front doors and entered the school.

* * *

 **False Yasogami High** **– Locker Room**

Unsurprisingly, there was even more tape and posters and cameras about. If it weren't for that, this would just be an ordinary locker room. There was also a random soccer ball and pink parasol on the ground, but I disregarded that. Wasn't really important. "They're really going all-out on this, aren't they? I guess Liz wasn't kidding when she said this was going to be a tournament. But… what type of tournament is this even going to be, anyway?" I suppose it'd be a little too much to think that it would be a kendo tournament or something.

As I was thinking, I heard the sounds of static start up from nearby. A little startled, my eyes looking all about trying to figure out where it was coming from – before my gaze drew toward a conspicuous monitor sitting in the corner, the screen noticeably on and trying to display something. "It's… a television…?" I observed. Curiously, I let myself stare at the screen, waiting for it to stabilize. What was it going to show? _Who_ was it going to show?

…it better not be Tanaka's Amazing Commodities.

That theme is _so_ annoying. I imagine it hasn't changed much these past couple of years, either.

At last, the static went away, and the monitor began to broadcast footage of—

…wait.

What. The. _Hell?_

" **Rivals…"** some strange announcer voice was saying. **"They are friends… yet** _ **powerful foes!"**_ The screen immediately displayed several cut-ins of the Investigation Team members – Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, they were all there. **"It's the desperate fighting program amongst high-school students! A new legend is about to start!"**

"What. The. _Hell?"_ I repeated my earlier thoughts out loud, just gawking at whatever in the name of Izanami was going on the monitor. You know what? I think I would've preferred Tanaka's Amazing Commodities. At least it wouldn't be quite as weird as _this._

The camera started panning around some strange-looking arena, curtains falling from the center stage as spotlights blared all across the place. _Okay, what kind of budget was this place made on!?_ I thought. _And where in the TV World_ _ **is**_ _that?_

And then Teddie's voice. **"May the manliest of all men… come on down!"** The big bear himself showed up on camera, wearing the exact same hat and cape he had adorned on the poster. He pulled back his cape in a dramatic fashion, and then the video clip started showing me each and every one of the other Investigation Team members.

With subtitles next to their names.

Very… Very _specific_ subtitles.

My confusion promptly changed into _absolute hilarity. "Hee… Heheheheh…"_

Oh my god. I can't. I can't even.

I tried to hold it in for a bit – I really, _really_ tried, honestly – but eventually? I just decided _it wasn't even worth bothering._ _"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"_ burst from my mouth, me bending over in complete merriment. "Like, _what even is this?_ The Sister-Complex Kingpin of Steel? Captain Ressentiment? The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor? _This is_ _ **comedy GOLD!"**_

Oh my god, if I encounter the Investigation Team after this, I'm never going to let any of them live this down. Ever.

I'm sure Elizabeth would agree with me.

Ooh, now I want one of those titles for myself.

Like, maybe… the **Unsealed Savior of Versatile Verses**? That sounds catchy enough! Ha ha!

As I was struggling to get my composure back together, I could faintly hear the announcer continue, **"These six will fight and survive toward the one throne awaiting at the end!"** If you wanted to ask me what was showing currently on-screen, I wouldn't have been able to answer you – because I was laughing too hard to see anything. **"The P-1 Grand Prix begins…** _ **now!"**_

At this point, I was pretty sure the video had ended – just in time for me to finally come to terms with what I had just witnessed. "So… This _is_ a fighting tournament. Alright. Funny titles aside… how do these guys think they can get the Investigation Team onboard with this?" Last I checked, those guys were as thick as thieves. They wouldn't just fight each other for the hell of it. That's not them.

That's not SEES, either.

As I was thinking, the monitor above me lit back to life, and Rise's face immediately filled the screen. _"Ladies and gentlemen!"_ the resident idol exclaimed. _"Is everyone ready? It's time to get our program started! I—Risette—will be your commentator today! Please hold your applause!"_

"Aaaaaand there's Rise," I noticed. She seemed to be wearing some sort of headset today. I… guess it would make a little sense to have her as the commentator, since she's the Investigation Team's navigator (much like how Fuuka was ours)… but it's also extremely out-of-character for her. Then again, it's also extremely out-of-character for the Investigation Team altogether to participate in this whole tournament thing to begin with, so what do I know?

Suddenly, I heard a crowd of people suddenly start cheering from out of nowhere – but that couldn't be possible. The only people who can get _in_ here (hopefully) are Persona-users and Velvet Room attendants! I looked around, but… I couldn't see anybody in the locker room. Maybe… they were outside?

" _Oh, you're too kind, you're too kind!"_ Rise was saying next. _"Well, with things starting to heat up now—"_ I wouldn't say 'heat up,' this thing's barely gotten started. That trailer was nice pre-show entertainment, though. _"—General Teddie has a few words for you! The mic's all yours, sir!"_ (And since when did Rise call Teddie 'sir'?)

Rise pulled back from whatever camera was in her face, and in her place was 'General' Teddie – with the hat and the cape and that ridiculous cigar. Why does he have a cigar? And don't tell me he's actually taking this seriously, too? _"Ahem… Well then!"_ he pompously proclaimed, _"I'm proud to announce the opening of our bear-y own P-1 Grand Prix!"_ He sounds his usual chipper disposition, at least – but maybe he should consider the situation first.

" _Thaaaaaat's right, folks! Our friends will be dueling in the greatest fighting tournament the world has_ _ **ever**_ _seen! And—ooooh, who's this pretty lady?"_ Probably-Not-Actually-Teddie's eyes drifted toward my standing, that familiar perverted gaze looking up and down at me. _"My my, I haven't s-seen you around b-before! H-How unexpected! U-Unexpected! U-Un-Unex-ex-ex…"_

His voice was definitely stuttering out at the end there. And that brought me right back around to being confused. "Okay, what? You okay there, buddy?" I probed. He didn't respond, the live footage immediately went dark with static. I put on a deadpan expression. "…man, the reception here stinks," I remarked. "Went out before I could even blink! Did you guys waste your budget on just that trailer or _what?"_

I was staring at increasingly fuzzier static for a little bit before Teddie popped back up – except now, his face was absolutely cold, and his eyes were a startling shade of yellow. **"Case 04: Unintended intruders detected,"** he mechanically stated, beginning to unsettle my nerves. **"Analyzing execution protocols… Intruders are Persona-users. Due to external complications, they will be acknowledged as valid targets."**

I blinked. For a moment there… he sounded like a robot. Like a robot I know, actually. So that means…

"…okay, do I even want to know what's up with the ASW here?" I questioned quietly. I thought Liz said the ASW reminded her of Aigis? There's something fishy going on here. _Real_ fishy. I sense some illusion shenanigans going about – and that's not just because I'm Izanami's avatar of sorts.

Static briefly filled the TV monitor again before Very-Clearly-Not-Teddie's face re-popped into view, his smug demeanor back in place. _"Well, I suppose I've got room in my tournament bracket for you, my gorgeous girl! I—the great General Teddie—had to shuffle about everything else to accommodate you and the other four contestants—_ _"_ Other four contestants? I know Elizabeth's here, so who's the other three? Hmm… might be my old teammates. _"—but I suppose for you, I can make a few exceptions!"_ At the very least, I can give General Teddie for being able to imitate the real deal competently.

"Right, whatever. Hey, 'General Teddie'. What _is_ this whole tournament about, anyway?" I demanded to know. Just knowing it's a 'desperate fighting program' doesn't exactly tell me anything. Especially when the Investigation Team seems to be involved. "And why are you even hosting it? I'd like to know _that,_ at least."

" _Oh, details, details!"_ he dismissed me. _"That doesn't matter! Say… What's your name, anyway? I can't really continue this tournament unless I know everybody here!"_ Really? I could've sworn Not-Teddie was just fine without that. But I guess I can oblige him a bit.

"Mariko. Mariko Kusumi," I stated. "That's all you're getting."

" _Ooh, you're quite the feisty one, Emmy-chan! Scoring you will be such a treat!"_ _E-Emmy-chan?_ I felt my face heat up a bit. T-That's the nickname Teddie gave me during the Labyrinth… Gee, I guess strange minds think alike, h-huh?

" _Well, now that_ _ **that's**_ _outta the way…"_ General Teddie continued, _"we can get the fighting finally started! So prepare yourself for your first challenger!"_ Clouds of smoke immediately and suddenly covered the entirety of the locker room, interrupting any response I might have had. "G-Gah, w-what the…!?" I grunted, shielding my eyes from all the smoke. "What are you…!?"

I couldn't see anything in these conditions. The only thing I could really do is endure it and hope that I wasn't assaulted by a Shadow or something in the meantime. Sure, the chances of that happening are kind of miniscule, but hey, the possibilities are endless. You never really know.

Luckily, when the plumes of smoke finally dropped, no Shadow was there to attack – instead, it was someone completely different.

A tall, blonde guy with short, slicked-back hair stood before me, wearing his school uniform kind of like a jacket with a black skull shirt underneath. I recognized him from the Labyrinth, of course – it was **Kanji Tatsumi**. Admittedly, I didn't see him coming as my first 'opponent'.

But hey, I'll take it all the same.

"Uhhhh… Soooo… You're my next opponent?" Kanji asked of me, looking confused. Normally, I wouldn't blame him – I mean, this situation is pretty bizarre… but then his next words proceeded to confuse _me_ instead. "Jeez, this dream is pretty weird if I'm coming up with people I've never met before. I would've thought Chie-senpai would be next…" And I'm sitting here and wondering… _Wha? Dream? Is Kanji_ _ **high**_ _right now?_

"Your… _dream_ now? Buddy—last I checked, this was reality," I chided him. "Not some dream for you to sightsee." I have no idea what type of delusion he's gotten himself into, but it certainly can't be healthy right now. "Are you okay? Is this whole tournament thing getting to you?"

"Of—Of course I'm alright! Hmph—you don't need to ask me that! Besides, I wouldn't _need_ to be fine to take a weak chick like you down!"

"Ex- _cuse me?"_ Okay, now I'm just insulted! Just 'cause I'm a girl doesn't mean—wait. For a moment, I thought… I heard some eerie buzzing noise alongside his words? Hmm… Anyway—"I'm sorry, _what_ about me is weak now?" I demanded to know, a hand moving to clutch my handbag as tightly as I could.

"You heard me right!" Kanji uncharacteristically smirked. "Look at you—you're so unmanly. You've got no muscles at all! Someone like you would never stand a chance in this tournament. Only the manliest of men are allowed here, and you forfeited the right to that position a long time ago – dumb decision if you ask me! You should just go back home and keep writing those terrible poems of yours! It's better than embarrassing yourself here!"

Now I'm simultaneously angered and creeped out by all of this. How does Kanji know that much about me!? Anything the Investigation Team learned from the Labyrinth should have been retconned from their memories!

Argh, I am so not in the mood for this. I can't even troll Kanji efficiently like this! Judging by the fact that I can hear a buttload of audio weirdness behind his voice, his words are probably an illusion, or something – but how would the illusion-crafter, then…!

Ugh… I need to calm down a bit. I'm the wielder of the Universe, I can't get too worked up over juvenile insults like this. Come on, Marie – if you can handle Liz with nary a problem, then you should have no issue handling this type of stuff, too.

 _Deep breath… Deep breath…_ I closed my eyes and let my breathing die down a bit, though I made sure to keep a steady hand on my handbag. _Alright. Alright. I can do this. Just keep calm. And remember to troll. Troll hard. Trolling's good._

"Hey! What're you all quiet for!? You hear a single word I say? Answer me already!" Kanji's illusionary voice shouted. Fortunately, this time I had a response ready for him.

"Sorry, I was too busy going over how many wrong things were in your statements," I proclaimed. Heh, this'll get him talking. "I mean, 'manliest of men' is such a very specific term. You sure you didn't misspeak, or anything? Maybe it was 'girliest of girls' you were aiming for?"

"W-Wha—!? _Of course I meant 'manliest of men!'"_ Gee, this illusion-crafter really has everyone's character wrapped down nicely. They'd probably make a good fanfiction writer. Or a terrible one; the pendulum often swings both ways. "Come on, didn't you hear what Ted said!?"

"I didn't really pay too much attention," I blatantly lied, letting my Gadfly-ness take over. "I've got other things to worry about. You seem a little too hung up over this—hey, maybe you want to qualify for _both_ categories!" A shit-eating grin entered my expression. "I've got plenty of pathos to give for that department, I assure you! I'll even let you borrow some!" Heh, still got it.

" _Grrrrrrrrrrr_ _!_ Enough playing around!" Kanji declared. "You wanna fight, I'll give you a fight… and I'll show you just how outmatched you are! Go, **Takeji Zaiten!"** At the same time the 'audio discrepancies' vanished (how convenient), Kanji crushed that increasingly familiar tarot card and summoned his Persona – a rather intimidating white-and-red titan with a fairly long red cutlass. I wouldn't have thought twice about it if it weren't for the fact that Kanji's Ultimate Persona in the Labyrinth was completely different. I barely remember it, but I'm certain of that fact.

 _Ah whatever,_ I dismissed. _I can question Yu's overpowered Social Linkage later. I've got a battle to win – and I'll do it in style!_ A determined smile on my face, I held out my hand and summoned my own preferred Persona. " **Kaguya** , let's go!"

I'm wondering if Liz has gotten into any fights yet. Heh, I wonder which one of us gets into the most trouble around here?

Time to dance!

* * *

 **Mariko Kusumi vs. Kanji Tatsumi  
** _The Unsealed Savior of Versatile Verses / The Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor_

* * *

P-1 Grand Prix – First Match  
 _ **FIGHT!**_

Kanji took action first – befitting his status as a brute – whipping out a folding chair from… somewhere. _Hammerspace at its finest, I guess!_ Before I knew it, the sitting device slammed into me and sent me reeling back – because _jeez,_ this guy's physique is not just for show! (In the background, I could hear Rise doing her usual thing, sort of— _"And it looks like the battle's begun! Who'll take the victory here? Our beefcake Kanji, or the mysterious Mariko? I'll be here to commentate, folks!"_ —but I could safely ignore that.) Another swing and I instinctively hopped back, this time grabbing my handbag and retaliating in force.

It really is a good thing Izanami made this thing as sturdy as Liz's Compendium (and also as elastic as… elastic-y stuff), because it turns out it could clash really well against Kanji's folding chair. Go, unorthodox weapons! I even dare say this works just as well as my old swords.

"It'll take a lot more than brute strength to get to me!" I taunted, letting myself fly back from a clash. "Here, let me show you!" With Kaguya behind me, I sent a barrage of Shining Arrows at him, raining down from the sky as always – but somehow, he managed to block quite a few with just his folding chair.

He really knows how to use that well, huh? I'm almost jealous.

I followed up with a jump and a slam, taking advantage of his distraction to thoroughly bring down the house on him. Another sideways swing and he was sent flying across the locker room, too. _How's_ _ **that**_ _for 'unmanly,' huh?_ I internally grinned. I know he didn't actually say that; shut up and let me have my vindication.

"So you're more than look!" Kanji said. "Ha—that's no problem for me!" He promptly countered my combo with a prickly Ziodyne strike, and damn, that hit just as hard as his physical force. Actually, it hit harder than I expected it to. I grit my teeth – I'm lucky Kaguya's weakness wasn't Elec – and went about with my own surprise, rushing up to Kanji and opening my bag. As a consequence of my handbag's hammerspace capabilities, I, uhh—very much took advantage of it, so…

…don't look at me like that, it's perfectly normal to have a jack-in-the-box of Igor's head in my bag. That banana nose is almost as iconic as his voice! How could I not carry that around wherever I went?

Liz and Igor certainly got a laugh out of it, so it's alright!

And also my Igor-in-the-box took a whiff on Kanji, so that was good.

Whatever the case, Kanji was once again blown back. "W-What the h-hell!?" he exclaimed, clearly not having expected my epic strategy. (Again, it's totally legit.) "W-What is— _t-that!?"_

I grinned. "Just a friend," I gave a non-answer. "What, you don't like him?" Don't worry; I'm sure Igor would take it in stride. You know, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him in a while. Huh. Maybe I should talk to Margaret, see where he's been… and hope she hasn't taken a vacation, either.

" _Ooh, Mariko-chan's got plenty of surprises on her hands!"_ Rise chimed in, interrupting my thoughts. _"This battle is really heating up now!"_ Right, I've got a battle to complete. Newly refocused, I prepared for another strike – but Kanji was back on his feet too, and was just as ready. As soon as I went in with a swipe, he charged in and—inexplicably yelled _**"You want some!?"**_ and knocked me down.

Yes, you heard that right. His very voice somehow knocked me down.

His _voice._

What kind of Persona skill is that!?

And where can I get it?

Acting quickly, Kanji followed up by swiping me into the air and summoning his Persona to slam me away – ugh, I am still so out of practice – and the minute Takeji Zaiten dissipated and left me falling, he once again rushed in. Thinking fast, I summoned Kaguya to do a few slices, keeping him away long enough for me to fall gracefully… and uncomfortably hit the floor. I feel undignified now.

"This isn't over yet!" I stated. Getting back on my feet, I put the powers I got from Izanami to use and 'changed the weather', kind of. (Please don't ask.) Opening my bag again, several clouds came out, bolts of thunder coming down from them, which charged for Kanji. I'm well aware Kanji has a bit of a resistance to Electric attacks – but I'm a bullshit goddess, so hopefully that should make up the difference.

And make up the difference it did. Kanji was being pestered by what could best be described as annoying tingling all over. It didn't help that it sapped a little of his health away, either. _"Oh come on!_ How is this any fair!?" he complained. Summoning his Persona again, he quickly cast Matarukaja and then a Maziodyne, breaking up the clouds through superior lightning power. (I'm well aware that barely makes any sense, just trust me on this.)

Takeji Zaiten didn't fade though – and expecting him to charge with another Primal Force, I summoned Kaguya to combat it with a rather sparkly divekick. The two clashed and held in place for a while… but in the end, the earlier Tarukaja won out, and Kaguya was sent off. That also had the side-effect of stunning me. _"Y-Yowch!"_ I yelped. _"T-That smarts…!"_

Shaking himself off, Kanji rushed forward while I was down and threw his chair at me. The chair hit hard and bounced into the sky, leaving me rather dazed. "Anybody… catch the number… of that bus?" I deliriously mumbled. I was promptly knocked out of that by a devastating kick to the face, courtesy of Kanji's boot, and finally he smashed me into the ground with a hard punch. _H-Hell of an ass whoopin' there, buddy!_

" _Yeah!_ Not so tough now, huh!?" he taunted, pumping a fist into the air.

" _That's our Kanji-kun!"_ Rise gave her two cents. _"Looks like Mariko-chan's in trouble! Can she recover from that devastating blow?"_

Of course I can – my saving the world didn't mean nothing, after all. Right… I think I've spent enough time on this nonsense. Let's finish this!

I grabbed another present box and threw it at Kanji – and lucky for me, he instinctively caught it. "Wha?" He looked at the box in confusion. "What're you handing me this for—" The top unlatched itself and blew smoke into his face, blinding him effortlessly (much like how the smoke from before this fight blinded me). _"Agh!_ Not this damn shit again!"

Taking advantage, I threw myself forward—using my momentum to make sure my bag hit him first—following it up with a horizontal spin (that deliciously hit his face several times. How's it feel now!?), and then a strong sweep for good measure. Plus a Kougaon; that's always nice.

The tables had turned now – I was the one standing, and Kanji was the one dazed. He looked pretty tired, too, which meant it was prime time for a finishing attack. I waltzed in, sealed the distance, and grabbed him with my two hands. Emerald eyes stared (kind of) into steel-blue ones, and I stated with a grin—"Valiant efforts make up a good fight… Be glad you had enough to greet my sight." (Heh, still got that pathos going!)

With that, I charged myself full of electricity (don't worry, it's safe) and let it loose on Kanji. "Glrathlbltblath!" he nonsensically exclaimed. I let go and watched him spin around, very clearly out of it. "Don't worry, mom… I've… I've got _evvvvvvvverything_ covered!" With those nonsensical words, he fell onto the floor, utterly defeated. The match was mine.

 _ **K.O.!**_

I took off my hat and held it close to my chest. "Hee hee…" I giggled. "That was more fun than I thought it would be." So this is why Liz wanted to come here. I can certainly can see the appeal in this. "This is going to be pretty awesome."

" _And Mariko-chan takes the crown from Inaba's Emperor!"_ Rise declared. _"That was quite the exciting battle – and there's only more to come, folks!"_

 **And the winner is… Marie!**

* * *

With the battle concluded, I let myself fall back into a non-combat stature. Idly, I noticed that I was actually sweating. Like, a few bucketloads. "Phew!" I wiped the sweat away from my forehead. "I didn't think I'd be so… pumped up for that!"

Kanji groaned, slowly sitting up from where I had bashed him in. "Ughhhhhhh… I feel as if… the Reaper personally came… to renovate my ass…" he muttered, a hand trying to soothe his aching head.

As he did, I heard the telltale sounds of the TV in the corner turning on, and I drew my attention back toward it. General Teddie's face showed up for the first time in a few minutes, looking as painfully smug as always. _"Oh-ho, this little cutie's packing quite the punch to her!"_ he praised me. _"I'm impressed, Emmy-chan! I knew I was on the right track with putting you in this tournament!"_

His words are just empty gratitudes, I knew that. "Yeah, yeah, talk all you want," I replied, crossing my arms. "Tell me this – what are you trying to accomplish with this tournament?" Fun as this may be, I can't go forgetting the most important things now. Liz can shrug things off, that's the way she is; but I'm a more proactive person myself.

" _Don't be so hung up over unimportant matters such as that!"_ General Teddie dismissed. Something tells me he's not going to spill the beans so easily. _"Now come on—you've got another arena to get to! Chop chop! I expect another good show in your next bout, too!"_ Just as soon as he entered, General Teddie exited the scene, the TV screen going dark once more. Well… at least he kept things short and sweet.

I walked over to Kanji – who, in his state, seems to have ignored whatever Teddie was saying – and offered a hand to him. "Hey, don't just lie on the ground," I told him. "Come on, I'll help you up."

"Ugh… This is kind of embarrassing…" Kanji admitted, "…but a loss's a loss. Can't argue with that." As he took my hand and got back onto his feet, he stated, "Man, though… You hit pretty damn hard! You remind me Yukiko-senpai with the way you swing that purse of yours…"

"I'll take that as a compliment, thanks," I happily voiced. "Since we were interrupted by the whole fighting thing and all… lemme introduce myself. I'm Mariko Kusumi. Nice to meet you!"

"Kanji. Kanji Tatsumi," he properly introduced himself. "Second-year at Yasogami High. You can just call me Kanji, though. Being called 'Tatsumi-san' just makes me feel old, y'know?"

"Heh, I can tell. That trailer called you the ' **Bloodcurdling Beefcake Emperor** ,' right?"

"Oh, don't remind me!" Kanji put a hand to his forehead. "That thing was just so wrong in so many ways! Like, what the hell is even a 'beefcake'? That doesn't sound like anything you'd call a person at all! And, uhh… not to mention… You're acting a lot different than you were five minutes ago."

I blinked a bit in surprise. "Oh? Different? How so?"

"Like… You were saying all these things about me and my manliness and all these other weird topics! Like, how I was too much of a baby to hit you, and stuff like that! It was really weird! It was almost as if you knew me and everything." Well, uhh… That last part is technically true, but I don't want to tell him that now. He and the rest of the Investigation Team would be weirded out if they knew I knew a lot about them that I shouldn't know. I mean, I'd feel the same way in their position.

Anyway, back on topic… "Funny, 'cause I can say the same thing about you," I replied. "Only, you know—with the reverse type of topic. 'Twas pretty awkward. Also kind of hurt my ears a bit." You never know how much you appreciate the lack of static until you're forced to hear it for extended periods of time. Seriously.

Kanji's eyes widened a bit. "Really? Now _that's_ even stranger! What's going on here? T-This is just a weird dream I'm having… right!?" He's sounding kind of panicked now. Don't tell me he actually believed he was dreaming? How is that even possible? "I mean, the last thing I remember before today was going to sleep, and then I just woke up inside school! Does… Does that mean I'm inside the TV World? How the hell did I end up here!?"

"Well, I don't know what happened to you," nor do I want to, really, "but I don't think that really matters now. Whatever we thought we heard ourselves saying to each other… it must've been an illusion crafted by whoever's behind this tournament. That… 'General Teddie' fellow."

"Now that I think about it… Ted _was_ acting odd this whole time. Odder than he normally does, too. Man… I don't understand what's going on! What should I do about this?"

"That's kind of obvious," I said. "We go find your friend—or whoever's probably impersonating your friend—and get answers outta him. Whaddya say?"

"…you know what? That sounds great!" Kanji pumped a fist into an open palm. "I dunno much about you, but you're pretty good with that bag, so that's fine enough for me! So… I think we should head down that hallway." He pointed a thumb behind him toward said aforementioned hallway, and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Sure, if that's what you want!" Now normally this would be where the chapter ends – what with the two of us going off on further adventures or something like that – had Kanji not slammed face first into literally nothing and fallen onto his back.

I froze, having gotten not too far ahead, and looked back at my one-time opponent. "Uhh… Kanji?" I probed. "You alright there?"

Kanji glared at the open air he couldn't pass. "What the hell is this?" He banged a fist against the empty air only to recoil as if he had hit a brick wall. "There's nothin' here, but I can't get through!"

The more I see, the stranger this 'tournament' only gets. We have freaking invisible walls—selective ones at that—to deal with now? What is this, a cruddy video game? The only reason I can think for Kanji to be unable to pass is because he lost against me. I relayed my assumptions toward him, and he slumped in disappointment.

"Aw man, really? That's just not fair! What am I supposed to do in here, then, twiddle my thumbs!?" Yeah, he looks frustrated now. Hopefully he brought a book or something to read – I remember Yu had a crazy amount of books while he was in the Labyrinth.

Anyway, this was a bit of a bummer. "Looks like I'm gonna have to go on ahead," I said. "Nothing I can do about this wall thing now."

"Guess I'll have to leave it to you, then," he reluctantly conceded. "Oh—hey, by the way… I, uhh, kind of beat up some of my friends while I was here…" Right, he thought that all this was a dream. Now he must be feeling pretty embarrassed. "…so if you see any of them, tell them I'm… sorry for thrashing them, alright?"

I jokingly saluted. "Can do!" I replied. "Well, I best be off!" With that, I marched off toward… wherever my next destination was.

Now that I've gotten a taste for what this whole 'P-1 Grand Prix' thing is for myself, I'm feeling pretty excited for what's to come! I wonder who else I'll be pitted against? The possibilities are endless, they say! Ooh, maybe I'll even run into Liz – and won't _that_ be pretty entertaining on its own?

Well, enough dawdling around. Let's see where this place'll take me next, hmm?

* * *

 **Here we go, guys! It's Marie's first battle in the P-1 Grand Prix! Elizabeth's already run off on her own, as you can see – but Marie can handle things just fine without her.**

 **I'm going to be doing this mostly on the fly (as usual), because there's no way I'm going to be able to plan things out when I also have to try and keep** _ **some**_ **sort of consistency between** _ **Persona 4 Arena's**_ **other character routes. And that's not to mention having barely any idea about anybody's movesets. So… forgive me if things end up little off. My aptitude for research only goes so far. (And my ability to push back procrastination. And a bit of Artistic License.)**

 **Also I couldn't resist letting Marie react to the P-1 Grand Prix's opening video. Hey, if Elizabeth can see it, then so can she!**

 **Two more things to note: I chose Kanji because barely any of the Investigation Team seemed to fight him (Teddie doesn't count; his vs. Kanji was at the end); and I'll be using** _ **P4G's**_ **Ultimate Personas despite the fact that** _ **P4G**_ **is technically non-canon here. That's because… why the hell not, let's just say** _ **some**_ **parts of** _ **P4G**_ **happened. It's selective, but hey. It's more fun.**

 **Well, that's all for now – check in next time for the continuation of the P-1 Grand Prix!**


	3. Of Newcomers and Oldcomers

**A Goddess's Arena**

 _ **Chapter 2  
**_ _Of Newcomers and Oldcomers_

(Uploaded on November 6, 2018)

* * *

 **Summary:** Today on my Arena campaign, I encountered these three things: a bunch of cruddy invisible walls _(where are they all coming from!?),_ a mysterious teal-haired 'School Council President'—and a face that's all too familiar to me.

…well, it didn't take long for my little reunion party to begin, huh?

* * *

 **[Marie]**

 **False Yasogami High – Hallway**

"Ouch! Hurk! H-Hey, where did _that_ come from!?"

Okay, it's been ten minutes since I left Kanji, and I have to say this: whoever put up all these invisible walls in this school is a giant. Freaking. _Dick._

Seriously—Why. Are. There. So. _Many. Of. Them!?_ This isn't a video game with terrible programming or anything, this is _reality!_ If you're going to put so many, make them visible or something! (Wait, that would defeat the purpose of them—ah, whatever!) Placing them like this haphazardly is just plain annoying! They supposed to be a guide, or something? If so, they're doing a pretty terrible job at that.

And not even my status as Izanami's avatar counted for anything. I tried breaking some of the walls myself – but it didn't do a thing, unfortunately. I didn't get the terrible recoil Kanji got, but it still kind of stung.

"I think I'd rather be back in Tartarus," I grumbled, trying not to look like I was stumbling blindly through this invisible calamity (though I'm not sure how well I was succeeding on that front). "At least I could tell where the hell I could go just on sight." There's not going to be any treasure at the end, either, I can tell. Why couldn't they have just blocked off individual doors, again? That _and_ this combined is just… overkill! ('Betcha Liz doesn't have to deal with this. Heavens knows how lucky she can get.)

I was still intensely grumbling to myself over how nonsensical this all was when a girl's voice entered my hearing. "Hey, you there!" she shouted, her dialect sounding distinctly… Kansai-like. "You don't look like a student here. What're you doin' in this school?"

I flipped around to see a pale, teenage girl with silver-blue hair and a ponytail that was fairly long in length. She was dressed in the Yasogami High uniform I had seen on the Investigation Team – this was the summer version, I believe. My gaze was noticeably drawn to her eyes, which were a really striking red (and were also glaring at me). Not even Minako or Mitsuru had eyes that crimson, I swear.

Now that I think about it, her appearance kind of reminds me a little of…

…Aigis?

That's… a bit odd, to say the least.

Is she supposed to be the new ASW, or is something else going on?

She asked me a question, though—I should probably respond. "I heard there was a fighting tournament going on," I shrugged. "Wanted to see what it was about." _And how fun it'd be,_ I would have stated, if I wasn't certain she definitely wouldn't like that statement.

And just to be safe, I also asked, "You in it, too?" I mean, General Teddie did note that there were a heck of a lotta 'intruders' going around, so she might be one of them.

"Of course not!" she immediately shot my idea down. Well, I tried. "This whole tournament thing is makin' a mess a'everything! As the **Student Council President** , I ain't gonna let this slide!"

'Student Council President'? Hmmm… She does look like the authority type of person, what with that hefty glare and all. (I'd know; Mitsuru was a hell of a person to cross.) But unless she's a Persona-user, she's not gonna be able to do much. And judging by the fact that she's reacting to this like she's a normal person, she's not even that.

"Seriously, who're you, anyway?" Miss President asked while looking back at me. "I've never seen you around here before. You a new student?"

Oh, that's right. Barely anybody knows me yet. "I'm Mariko Kusumi," I introduced myself. "But you can just call me Marie. I'm definitely not a student here, I can tell you that." See my outfit for that. "I'm a budding poet—and tournament participant, as it turns out. Ain't it a dream?" (What? Rhyming's fun. You should give it a shot.)

"So, you're in this whole thing too?" she asked. "Then you can tell me where the host a'this tourney is so I can put the kibosh on it! I mean, just look at what happened to the school!" She directed my attention toward all the crap plastered all over the walls. General Teddie posters, P-1 police tape, crazy camera work… Yeah, in a normal school, this would be pretty wacky. (But hey, it could be worse.) "It's gonna take forever to clean up everything!"

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but this thing might be a bit too big for you to tackle," I informed her. "I don't even know where General Teddie—the host, mind you— _is,_ so you're on your own on that front. That's not even mentioning all the invisible walls…"

"Invisible walls?" Miss President looked confused. "What're you talkin' about?"

For demonstration purposes, I knocked a fist on an invisible wall nearby, and watched as her eyes widened at it bouncing off. "Wha!?" she yelped. "But… I never came across anything like that!"

"You haven't?" That's a surprise! "But they're literally _everywhere._ You can't take five steps without running smack first into one!" I threw my arms in the air in frustration. My hand accidentally grazed the wall a little too hard, and I flinched at the jolt that went down it. "Agh!" I clutched my hand. "I forgot they stung a little, too…"

Miss President personally walked up to where I had knocked my fist against the barrier. She hummed for a bit, before somehow managing to stretch her arm right through it. A little shocked, I touched the wall with my palm to confirm that yes, there _was_ an invisible wall there. "…now that's just cheating," I complained. Can I have your magic air-wall-negating powers, too? I've been bumbling about for what feels like ages.

"I don't feel any wall here, so somethin' strange must be goin' on," Miss President deduced. (Gee, you think?) "You think this is related to the tournament?"

"If it isn't, I'll eat my hat," I replied. And when I find the guy who set up all these walls, I'm gonna give 'em a good wallop. No, a good _Megidolaon._ That'll show 'em not to be so stingy with directions. "Now, I'm gonna go find wherever the heck I gotta go next. I can't be too sure, but… I think it's toward the Music Room. That's what my gut's telling me, anyway."

"In that case, I'd better join you," Miss President said, determinedly. "I dunno why all a'this is happening, but I ain't gonna let it continue! You're the first friendly face I've seen all day, so I'm comin' along whether you like it or not!"

I'd try to tell her to go hide somewhere, if this place wasn't so hostile and unknown. As it stands, it's probably safest close to me. (Or any other Persona-user, but I haven't seen anyone else yet aside from Kanji.) 'Sides, should worst come to worst, I've got plenty of power behind my hands. (And handbag.)

"Well, alright," I reluctantly agreed. "Just… stay close. I don't want you getting hurt outta nowhere." With that, the two of us marched on toward the Music Room… Okay, it'd be more accurate to see that she marched on while I stumbled my way across. "Yowch! Oof! Ugh, these things are really beginning to get on my nerves. Stupid jerky hosts with better fashion senses than me…"

"Uhh, hey… You okay there, Marie?" Miss President looked back, trying to keep pace. "You look kind of angry."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I tried to reassure her – her expression was telling me I wasn't doing a very good job at that. "Let's—let's just go."

I still hate all these invisible walls.

* * *

As we walked along this railroaded trail (and I finally got a reprieve from all those dumb walls), Miss President decided to make conversation. "You know… I dunno why, but… you kinda remind me a'this weird lady I met a while back."

"Really?" I recalled what Liz had told me a few hours back. Hadn't she said she'd seen the new ASW here? Yet, Miss President here looks totally human—or wait. Couldn't that be an illusion, just like Kanji's words? My gut's telling me 'probably yes' – and it's never let me down before. "Tell me about it."

"She was kinda weird," she began, "wearin' all this blue and lookin' totally out of place." Yeah, that definitely sounds like Liz. "She also talked about if 'I was sure this was how things should be' and something 'impacting my life in the near future.' I didn't really get a lot of it." She put a hand to her forehead as she spoke. If she has a headache, I can't blame her – deciphering vague warnings from Velvet Room attendants can be like that, sometimes. "My memory gets kinda foggy from there. I think something happened, but I don't really remember it all too well. But I do remember… I have **a reason to live**. Something to hold on to. I wanna try and keep that."

"A reason to live, huh?" I let my eyes glaze out a nearby window. "…I can sympathize." I'd know all about that, after all. I remember believing I used to lack one, beyond keeping my twin sister safe (God, I wonder where she is now). Over the year I spent in Gekkoukan, I grew close to the many friends I made – and when the end of the world came within sight, they became my reason to continue onwards, no matter what tried to confront me.

I wonder what sort of trials Miss President went through, to so boldly state that she's got something she wants to hang on to.

(And I wonder how related it is to this case right now.)

"I dunno how the lady got here, or how she left," she recalled, "but… I'd like a'thank her for remindin' me a'that, at least. You really remind me a'her, so I was thinkin' you might know her?"

Bit of a leap in logic there, but I suppose there's a little bit of sense in it. Liz really has rubbed on me, huh? "You're right on the money with that one," I replied. I let a smile come onto my face. "She's my girlfriend. The most important person in my life, actually." It really is worth restating how much Liz means to me. It's kind of clichéd to say, but—while my universe encompasses many shining stars, she shines the brightest of all, listed Arcana or not. "There's no one else who I'd rather have by my side."

"W-Wow, really?" Miss President looked startled for a moment, even briefly slowing down in her movements. "I didn't know she meant _that_ much to you." More quietly, I overheard her mumble _"I wish I had someone like that…"—_ which immediately began boosting my sympathy meters—before she jumped back with "Say, you know where she is? I mean, if you're her girlfriend and all…"

"Other than being somewhere in this school? Not really." For all I knew, she could've warped in into an entirely different place than mine. Actually… that's probably what happened. Plot convenience and all that. "We'll come across her eventually—Liz can be like that, sometimes." It's one of the reasons I like her: her easy-going, do-whatever nature. And her nonchalance in walking down up elevators. "You'll be able to thank her then, how 'bout it?"

"That'd be nice, yeah," Miss President smiled.

Then, rather abruptly, she stopped and directed my attention back forward. "Hey, look! We're at the Music Room now."

I looked at the door we were now in front of. Peeking through the windows, I can see quite a few instruments lying about. "Yep," I stated, "that's definitely a music room." If this isn't it, then I don't know what is. "'Bout time."

"They better not a'done anythin' messy in there!" Miss President growled. "This whole thing is already a disgrace to the school as it is!"

It's a good thing this isn't the real school then. "Don't worry," I told her. "It shouldn't be _that_ bad in there… hopefully." I don't think that really assuaged her worries, but there's not a whole lot I can do on that front. Right—I've wasted enough time as it is. "Now, let's get things started!"

Without hesitating, I pushed open the doors and walked into my next bout.

It's time for another show to begin!

* * *

 **False Yasogami High – Music Room**

The music room was in a similar state as the rest of the school – which is to say, kind of messed up. P-1 posters everywhere, a bunch of papers taped to the blackboards in the shape of 'P-1', volleys of shoes circling around the piano for some reason – and for some reason, the eyes on the portraits above were _glowing!_ What room needs this kind of ambience?

For that matter, why would such a mess be necessary? Wouldn't it get in the way of having a good battle arena, if you have to dodge the stuff around the room? It all seems kind of counterproductive.

"Oh c'mon, here too!?" Miss President exclaimed, exasperated. "This is getting ridiculous! What kinda person would go through all this effort, anyway!?"

Static alerted me to the turning on of the above monitor. "You're about to meet said person," I drawled, my eyes drawn up to the screen. Right, let's see what General Teddie has to say now, shall we?

In a few seconds, the screen had fully brightened up, and Not-Teddie's maliciously smiling visage had re-entered the scene. _"Welcome back, everyone, to the P-1 Grand Prix!"_ he announced, much to the excitement of… whatever crowd was supposed to be watching this. (No seriously, where are they coming from?) _"Thanks for being so patient! I know, I know! The wait's been unbearable! But I'm glad to announce it's time for the next round to begin!"_

"Wha—!? _That's_ the ringleader behind this whole mess!?" Miss President exclaimed in shock. "He looks like a _teddy_ _bear!_ T-That can't be right…!"

"Believe me, it is," I told her. "And it's only gonna get weirder from here." I wonder how she's gonna react to Personas appearing out of thin air? Or my handbag, for that matter? Hmm, maybe I should give her a preemptive taste first; I still have plenty of those Igor-in-the-boxes in there…

" _Oh, my! Emmy-chan!"_ General Teddie dramatically exclaimed. _"You didn't tell me you had someone else waiting for you! How could you do this to me!?"_ And now he was acting all overdramatic again, just like the real Teddie would. _"I'm so wounded! I thought we had something bear-y special!"_

"E-Ehh!?" I heard Miss President yelp beside me. Her face was blushing madly, now – she definitely wasn't used to Teddie's wile ways. "H-Hey, what are you i-insinuatin'!? D-Doing somethin' like that is—it's against regulations here!"

I snorted, despite myself. "Buddy," I said to Not-Teddie, "you know we never had 'something special.' Our priorities align about as well as deadlines do. Besides, I'm taken thank you very much, and it's going to stay that way."

Surprisingly enough, he just ignored me and kept on speaking. _"And you chose such an unattractive little_ _ **tramp**_ _to 'do it' with, too!"_ he suddenly spat, catching me plenty off-guard. His eyes were narrowed and glaring right at Miss President, with a hatred that should definitely not be anywhere near his face. She didn't take this too well.

"T-Tramp!? How—How dare you!" she spoke up. "I'm the Student Council President; where do you get off talkin' to people like that!? I'm ordering you to take all a'this down! It's causin' too much of a ruckus 'round here!" Her words were clear and concise, just like how a real Student Council President would act. She's got courage, I'll give her that – but General Teddie wasn't having any of it.

" _Hmph! So what?"_ he dismissed. _"Yappy little mutts like you should be muzzled and thrown into the corner! Can't you see the big boys are talking here? Go on—sit, puppy, sit!"_ Miss President became even redder than she already was, her face scrunched up in humiliation. (I'd be the same way, if I was just brushed off like that.) What's going on here? What does this Teddie imposter have against her? It can't be for her appearance; she's decently attractive enough, I'll admit that. (I mean, that teal-silver hair and those red eyes really suit her! I'm—I'm serious!) If this guy wants to impersonate the real Teddie, they should know about his… attraction toward girls. It's his biggest character trait.

That means this must be personal. Personal in a way I can't describe yet.

But that's not what's important right now.

"Hey, don't say that to her!" I jumped in, ready to defend my new friend. "She hasn't done anything to you. Leave her out of this!"

" _You wouldn't be saying that if you knew how much of a_ _ **shameless liar**_ _she is!"_

I raised an eyebrow. "Shameless… liar?" I repeated, a questioning tone on my lips. _That_ was new. "What do you mean by that?"

I haven't known Miss President for very long, but I can tell 'shamelessly lying' isn't in her character. And she clearly agreed, chiming in, "Yeah—what are you talkin' about!? I—I haven't lied about anything!"

But whatever history they had, General Teddie wasn't about to go elaborate. _"You'll learn in time,"_ he dismissed. I mentally sighed. _So it's not gonna be that easy. "But for now, it's time for you to fight your next opponent! Come—on—in!"_

Plumes of smoke once more bellowed out from the floor, and I could see a feminine silhouette making its way through all of it. _Well,_ I sardonically thought _, that automatically knocks out all the males from the candidate list._ Before too long, all the fog dissipated to reveal the figure was actually—

…Mit-Mitsuru!?

Y-Yep, that's **Mitsuru Kirijo** alright. That flowing red hair and steely red-eyed gaze is one I remember all too well. _(Brrrrr!)_ She's really grown since I've last seen her, too—I swear her bust is bigger than it was two years ago (and n-no, I'm not jealous or anything)—and… what is up with her outfit? She's got a white furcoat on – which looks really badass – but then there's the black catsuit she's got on underneath. It's incredibly weird and amazing and—I'm sorry, I'm just rambling now, aren't I?

I can't help it – this is the first time I've seen any of my old friends (aside from Liz) in two years; lemme have this moment for myself!

"W-Wait, where did she—!?" Miss President stammered. "She wasn't there just a moment ago! What is up with all a'this!?"

Believe me, I'd love to know, but… staring at Mitsuru's rather form-fitting catsuit right now, I can't bring to care all too much. I think my cheeks are blushing just from the mere sight of it, seriously. I literally can't take my eyes off of it. It's _that_ mesmerizing.

"What the…?" Mitsuru was muttering. "There are _two_ people here this time? And both of whom were not displayed on that video… This is a rather unexpected development." Looks like she's the same as ever, thankfully. (For now.) "And that girl there…" Her eyes trailed over to Miss President, something calculating in them as she continued to stare. But whatever it was, I couldn't tell.

Hold on… Liz said there was a new Anti-Shadow Weapon involved in this tournament. ASWs are property of the Kirijo Group. Are my old teammates here because of the new ASW around?

Jeez, ASWs just… have a bad habit of randomly activating on their own, huh? And wandering off, too. Like, I can't imagine SEES would be here otherwise.

"Hey…" Mitsuru's voice brought me out of my thoughts. Her eyes were on me now, an eyebrow visibly raised—and it was then that I realized that I was still staring. And she had noticed. "Is there a reason you're staring at me like that?"

Oh. Whoops. "Uhh—Nooooooo…" I tried to deny, desperately ignoring the fact that my face felt like it was furiously on fire. "I-I mean, it's n-not like I'm staring at your o-outfit, or anything—oop!" I covered my mouth in horror. I didn't mean to say that! (Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Labrys glancing at me in what looked like surprise. She, uhh—wouldn't mind ignoring that, right?) "You—You heard nothing!" I exclaimed, my arms flailing. "T-Totally nothing!"

(Under my breath, I grumbled, "S-Stupid sexy jerks…!" It didn't help.

Welp, there goes my goal of not embarrassing myself.

 _Great.)_

Mitsuru sighed, her palm rising up to meet her forehead. "Perhaps wearing this was a mistake after all…" she mused. "Aigis did have a point about us not being conspicuous. And then there's Akihiko…" Well, now I know who else is in here… though now I'm frightened to see what _their_ new outfits look like. Aigis shouldn't have any problems, what with her being a robot and all – but… what does she mean when she says 'and then there's Akihiko?'

…you know what, something tells me I should put that out of my mind for now.

"That aside…" She turned back to Miss President. "I didn't expect to see you here like this, **Labrys**. Ending up here in this ridiculous tournament…"

"W-Wha?" Miss President's eyes widened at Mitsuru's words. "What're you talkin' about!? W-Why're you callin' me that!? That ain't my name…!"

"It… isn't?" I said in confusion. Hey, now that I think about it… I don't think I actually _asked_ what her name was – I just started calling her 'Miss President' right off the bat. I guess that serves me right for not bothering to ask…

Wait, hold up—why would she _not_ know what her name is? Is this related to her 'memory being foggy'? She seems to be shaking pretty hard, too – what is it about hearing her name (if it _is_ hers', anyway) has gotten her so spooked? There's gotta be a story behind that.

" _Hey, hey, hey, no yapping!"_ General Teddie exclaimed, his irritated voice piping up from the TV monitor. _"You two are supposed to fight, not argue over this brainless deceiver!"_ Miss President huffed again at his words. Yeah, can't blame her – that's not exactly the most complimentary name I've ever heard. _"I'm itchin' for a catfight to happen, so get on it already!"_

I narrowed my eyes. "Jeez, you don't have to be so pushy," I commented, lazily sticking a finger out. "The pre-battle business is just as important as the battle itself, y'know."

" _I don't care!"_ How polite of him. _"Well… if you two lovely ladies aren't going to fight it out, I'll just have to make you then!"_

I then raised an eyebrow. _Make us fight… how?_ 'Course, I'd get my answer a few seconds afterward.

"I knew you seemed familiar," Mitsuru's voice sharply cut in, accompanied by the return of that eerie buzzing. (That's gonna be a regular thing, isn't it?) I turned to the Kirijo head and saw her face contorted in some sort of contempt. "Keeping yourself away from everyone, even now… You haven't changed a bit, _Arisato."_

I flinched, even though I knew it was an illusion. How much does this illusion-crafter _know_ about me? It's honestly disturbing – especially since it's coming out of a friend's mouth. I kept myself silent, though I could feel my lips coming to make a rather uneasy frown. I don't know if Miss President can hear what I'm hearing – or if she can hear whatever Mitsuru's hearing, for that matter – and I don't exactly want to look insane right now.

But the illusionary words still really hurt. "Can't speak?" she taunted. "How disappointing. You truly must not care about your 'friends' at all. How long has it been since you were brought back? Two months? Three months? All that time and you haven't bothered to speak with any of us. Despicable. You should have stayed as the Great Seal then, if that's the way you're going to be."

My face was probably visibly showing something close to an uncomfortable grimace at this point. _"Just had to hit me where it hurts the most, huh…?"_ I muttered quietly, clenching my handbag a little more tightly than usual. Whoever's doing this is definitely going to _pay_ later. (Two Megidolaons, then.)

Miss President was looking between the two of us, in clear confusion. "H-Hey, w-what's going on?" she asked. "You two are just talking to yourselves now…"

Well, that confirms that. "Tell you later," I said. "Right now, we're not gonna be getting anywhere without a fight, it seems." This is gonna be a little different – I've never really faced off against any of my teammates before (unless that one incredibly one-sided 'fight' against Aigis counts) – but that doesn't mean it's not gonna be at least a little exciting.

"W-Wha!? A-Are you really!?" She sounds pretty distressed by my declaration.

"Resorting to violence already?" Mitsuru jeered. "Our friendship must truly mean so little to you. Making you co-leader, it seems, was a huge mistake." _It's not her, it's not actually her,_ I told myself in an effort to keep myself focused. _Don't listen to a single word of it!_ "I imagine your sister would be just as disappointed, wherever she is."

 _U-Ugh! …make that_ _ **three**_ _Megidolaons._ "Enough talk," I finally said. I turned again to Miss President, noting that her face was still scrunched up in befuddlement. I feel sorry for her – she must really have no idea what the heck is going on. I remember when I felt like that, in terms of Personas and Shadows and all. Hopefully, this crash course won't be too surprising for her. "Hey, Miss Prez? Whatever you see here… Don't be too surprised about what happens, 'kay?"

"O-Okay," she tentatively agreed, "b-but… I don't see why I'd be very surprised…?"

"Oh trust me," I told her, turning back to Mitsuru, who was definitely in a battle stance now, "this is gonna be something magical."

"Still putting on a façade, Arisato? Your empty words do nothing to absolve yourself of blame. But if you want to try and contest that… then it is only right that I shoot your aspirations down." As the static died down, a familiar blue aura started emanating around her. "I summon thee, **Artemisia!"** And with that also familiar battle cry, I saw an elegant woman emerge from behind her, an armor-like dress adorned on her body. Good to see her Persona hasn't changed a bit.

Amidst Miss President's surprised yelps, I went and summoned my own Persona—you know, crushing tarot cards is pretty relaxing, actually—and prepared for battle myself. "Let's go, **Kaguya!"** I declared, clutching my handbag tightly.

Time for a hell of a reunion!

("W-What the…!? Okay, I—I see what you mean now! I'll—I'll just… sit here, then! _…what is going on!?")_

* * *

 **Mariko Kusumi vs. Mitsuru Kirijo  
** _The Unsealed Savior of Versatile Verses / The Imperious Queen of Executions_

* * *

P-1 Grand Prix – Second Match  
 _ **FIGHT!**_

Mitsuru was always one for rapiers, just like how Yukari fought with bows and arrows, and how my sister enjoyed naginatas the most. That expertise is showing itself plenty now, as she started out the fight by whipping it out and immediately thrusting it forward. I was made a quick sidestep, narrowly avoiding the strike as it went between me and my bag— _Holy crap, she's definitely gotten better at this!_

" _Ooh, it looks like Kirijo-san here isn't taking any chances today!"_ Rise commented over the monitor. _"Two skillful, unknown women, duking it out for a spot at the top – yep, this battle is definitely going to be one for the history books, folks!"_ I hopped back as she followed up with an upward strike, summoning my Persona and letting three light daggers hit the space in front of me.

Mitsuru acted quickly and deflected them away. _Should've seen that coming!_ Well, if just three daggers won't work, I'll just have to try a lot more of 'em! I jumped onto the piano – if it's gonna be there being useless, I might as well use it for something – and rained down a slew of Shining Arrows from the sky. "Take this!" To her credit, Mitsuru didn't hesitate at the volley, and she ducked and weaved between them – though not quite unscathed, as a number of them managed to scratch her.

But despite that, she managed to approach the piano and swiped her rapier toward the area of my feet. Having not seen that coming either, I ended up stumbling (a piano is not exactly the steadiest thing to be standing on) and falling down… in her direction. Her eyes briefly widened before I tumbled right into her – and rather painfully, at that. _(Curse my relative fragility…!)_

We rolled around for a bit before we separated, and I took this time to get in a quick sweep with my handbag. It didn't hit as hard as I wanted it too, but it did well enough. Mitsuru was knocked a little bit away, and I caught a glimpse of surprise at my 'weapon' of choice. _Not something you see every day, is it?_ I thought in satisfaction. I got back up on my feet – and so did Mitsuru.

"It seems you have a grasp on basic fighting skills, though your tactics are… interesting to behold," she stated. Is she talking about the use of my handbag, or the earlier attack on top of the piano? She pointed the tip of her rapier at me. "But this does not mean I will go easy on you."

"I never planned on going easy on you either," I replied. I came here to fight, after all, and there's no way I won't have as much fun as I can doing so.

I summoned Kaguya again and sent her swiping forward with her wing. Mitsuru clearly took the brunt of it as she blocked with her rapier. As she was focused on that, I got close and attacked with my foot. (What? What's wrong with kicks?)

I followed that up by beginning to _really_ use my handbag: low sweeps, hard swipes, jump attacks… anything went in this fight! I grinned as I continued to fight. _This really_ _ **is**_ _fun!_ A flurry of all three really kept Mitsuru on her guard. 'Betcha she's rarely faced off against unorthodox fighters before.

As my last hit sent her flying, she easily recovered with what looked like Getsu-ei (I—I don't think that's how you're supposed to use it), and retaliated in force with another thrust from her rapier. And this one hit dead center—jeez, it's _sharp! "Yowch!"_ I yelped, a hand instinctively holding the place where her blade cut me. I'm sure it didn't _actually_ cut—but that doesn't help the phantom sensation!

Now I'm regretting not having my own sword on me at all. That'd make this a lot easier…!

She summoned Artemisia again right after, and several shards of ice materialized in front of her, the sharp tips pointing right at me. I barely had enough time to say "Oh boy," before they were thrown right at me. Lucky thing Ice isn't my weakness, though that doesn't mean the shards don't hurt at all. They do. They're also cold. And I think one's sticking off of my bag now. (Should I keep it as a souvenir, or—?)

Mitsuru then got back to fencing her rapier at me, with me trying to block it with my incredibly sturdy handbag. _"Just look at Kirijo-san's fencing skill, everybody!"_ Rise was remarking. _"She's really giving Mariko-chan a run for her money here!"_

 _Yeah, I can see that!_ I sardonically thought, gritting my teeth as the Kirijo head continued her assault. I fumbled about trying to open my bag – difficult work when a sword's trying to stab itself through it – and eventually managed to get a present box to hop out of it. And before you ask—no, this isn't another Igor-in-the-box (this one's red, you see; the other one's blue). Instead, a giant chocolate head burst out of it and—get this— _licked_ Mitsuru.

"Wh-What kind of absurd assault is this…!?" she reacted with disgust as the tongue slobbered all over her. _("And Mariko-chan's purse shows itself to be still full of surprises!"_ Rise exclaimed. _"Is there anything in there it doesn't have?")_ It sufficiently distracted her enough for me to break free, thankfully. I swept her feet with my bag right after, and blasted her away with a Shell of Denial – it's a sort of shield, you see. I watched as she flew across the room again and slid onto the floor, though she quickly got back onto her feet.

"Enough of this!" she suddenly said. "It's time to get serious."

Inexplicably, a bunch of glowing pink flower appeared in front of her. I raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you trying to do with th—"

She interrupted me by shouting **"Marin Karin!"** My eyes widened. _Oh crap—her signature attack!_ The flowers soon slammed into me before I could block them at all and—

…oh.

 _Ohhhh boy._

Is it me, or… is Mitsuru suddenly a _lot_ more attractive than usual?

Like, _a lot_ a lot?

I think I'm almost in love. (Only almost… 'cuz Liz. Nothing beats her. Mitsuru can try, though; she sure can try.)

I stumbled about with a big dumb blush on my cheeks. "B-Boy," I slurred, feeling my face heat up, "Y-You… You look—p-pretty good in t-that suit." A giggle came to my lips – g-gee, being on the r-receiving end of this is… p-pretty weird! "You should—w-wear it a lot more!"

 _("Ooh—Kirijo-san's spell there seems to have done_ _ **something**_ _to Mariko-chan there! This is a side of her we haven't seen yet!")_

"Well, this is unexpected," I heard Mitsuru note (I'd like to make _her_ react to unexpected things, _hee hee),_ "but not too unwelcome. This, at least, will make the job a lot easier." She grasped her rapier tightly – you know, she looks pretty sexy when she does that – and suddenly struck me _hard_ with it.

I was immediately knocked out of my Charmed status – I had forgotten how much that sucked – but that didn't help when I was being assaulted by what I'm pretty sure was Myriad Arrows (since when did she know _that?)._ Again and again, she ruthlessly attacked until she swiped upward and unleashed a devastating Bufudyne.

And by that, I meant she basically just froze me in a giant icicle. (Oh god, _the memories!)_ My attire was not suited for cold weather at all, and as such the cold seeped all over my body. _H-H-Holy c-crap!_ I mentally clattered. _T-T-This is c-c-cold! S-She's gotten t-_ _ **too**_ _better at t-t-this!_

As I lay there as a popsicle, feeling blisteringly cold _(Brrrrrr!),_ Mitsuru readied her blade again and promptly _shattered_ the icicle to pieces – and I was sent flying across the room, slamming into a nearby wall. "O-Oww…" I groaned as I fell to the floor, rubbing my back.

 _("And Mariko-chan's looking pretty winded now!"_ Rise commentated— _"Will she be able to hold out against Kirijo-san at this rate?")_

Okay, I can't delay this fight anymore – I gotta finish it before Mitsuru takes me down.

C'mon, c'mon—what do I have to work with? I've got Shining Arrows, Kougaons, plenty of stuff in my bag—

…wait. Hold up.

The piano's still sitting in the middle of the room.

Hmm… an idea's coming to mind.

It's an incredibly dumb idea, mind you—but it's the best chance I've got!

I stood back up, brought out that familiar tarot card, and crushed it. "Kaguya! **Makougaon!"** From beneath the giant piano (that has somehow remained undamaged throughout this fight), several beams of light shot up and sent it rocketing into the sky. Mitsuru looked flabbergasted by this. "What are you…?"

As the piano arced upward, I jumped up myself with Kaguya still hovering behind me, and divekicked it toward Mitsuru (with sparkly special effects, too!). I saw her eyes widen, but she didn't have any time to defend. The marvelous instrument slammed into her – and judging by the loud _'THONK!'_ that came after, it hit pretty damn hard, too.

I'm not sure if we're _allowed_ to use the environment like this per say, but hey! It's there, and I'm making use of it.

Luckily, Mitsuru was fairly resilient, being a veteran Persona-user and all. The same couldn't be said for the piano, though. (You did your job well, piano. You did your job well.) However, you don't exactly escape being hit by a gigantic mass without _something_ –hence Mitsuru being a little dazed right now.

Right, it's time to end this!

"Here goes nothing – let's get all bling-bling!"

I flung my bag forward and threw myself at Mitsuru, the first in a devastating combo of handbag attacks. I didn't let up, unleashing all I had on my poor former teammate, enough to even create clouds of smoke (a virtual All-Out Attack, you could say). Finally, with one final sweep upwards – accompanied by that familiar death cloud, of course – I managed to knock her straight into dreamland.

 _ **K.O.!**_

I wiped some sweat from my forehead. I think I was sweating more than last time, actually. "Phew! That was a little close there…" I said, "but I made it! Ha ha!" Second round may not have been quite the same verse as the first – but it was still fun either way, so I'll take it!

" _And through clever use of her surroundings, Mariko-chan has successfully managed to dethrone her opponent!"_ Rise declared over the speakers. _"Let's give it all up for our Unsealed Savior, folks!"_

 **And the winner is… Marie!**

* * *

Mitsuru gave me a hell of a fight. She's really improved in the two years since I saw her last. And that's only her; who knows what everyone else is like at this point. This whole arena's proven to be pretty enlightening in more ways than one.

To her credit, Mitsuru got back on her feet quickly, looking fairly nonplussed by her defeat. "It appears my skills still need some work…" she mused, a thoughtful look on her face. "Even now, there is still much to learn."

 _Still the same as ever, I see._

" _Hooooo-wheeee! That was another bear-tastic match!"_ The two of us glanced over at the monitor, displaying General Teddie's smug mug once again. _"You truly know a thing or two about fighting, Emmy-chan! And you've got no qualms about beating up anyone, either! I'm so proud of you!"_

Okay, that's just creepy. I'm pretty sure it was showing on my face, too.

"W-What's the point of a'this!?" Oh, Miss President's not hiding anymore. Huh, I'm surprised she emerged unscathed from our little bout. She must be pretty good at not getting hit. "Why're you making everyone fight each other!?" she kept demanding to know.

" _Heeheehee… Can't you see the joy in it? Making cocky, self-righteous 'friends' show how they really feel about each other… That's what's so thrilling about the P-1 Grand Prix!"_

Miss President was shaking in anger – clearly, General Teddie's response hit a nerve with her. "Who do you think you are, doing all a'this…!? This isn't okay! _NONE_ of this is okay!"

" _I'm just a simple bear with very simple desires: showing everyone what their friendships are really like! What_ _ **isn't**_ _to like about that!?"_

I chimed in, "Maybe the whole 'friendships' part." Is that really all what this is about? Seriously? "What makes you think it'll be that easy to break friendships apart, anyway? People are much stronger than that. Whoever you're trying to affect… they're not going to fall for your tricks, you know."

General Teddie scoffed. _"Hmph! What do_ _ **you**_ _know? You should just be worried about whether or not you can give me a good showing! Now, go hurry to your next opponent – and don't bring that tramp with you, too!"_ The monitor shut off afterward. I'm not too surprised. It's obvious he's not just gonna spill all his secrets.

Still though… what exactly does he plan to get out of this?

"I'll show you," Miss President growled, her fists clenched beside her. "I'll get this whole tournament shut down, and nobody'll get hurt anymore!" She looked at me. "I dunno what's going on with those creatures and all," obviously referring to our Personas, "but I won't let this continue. I'll see you later, Marie—I'm gonna go find whoever's doing this!" Before I could get a single word out, she rushed out of the Music Room to who knows where.

And I didn't even get a chance to explain anything. That's not good.

"Wait, Labrys!" Mitsuru tried to call to Miss President, but by that point, she was long out of range. She tsked. "She's gone. It's dangerous to just let her wander around like that…"

"No kidding," I agreed. I haven't seen any real Shadows around yet – except for probably General Teddie – but who knows when they could show up? "I haven't known her long, but she's definitely not safe here." Especially with General Teddie's grudge against her…

"Hey… Since we are not in combat anymore," Mitsuru began, "I would like to know what your name is. You are a face I don't quite recognize…" Well, since she so graciously asked…

"Well—I'm Mariko Kusumi, but you can call me Marie. Nice to meet you!" Or more rather, 'nice to meet you _again.'_ "And you are?" I already know who she is, of course – but she doesn't know that yet.

"My name is Mitsuru Kirijo, the current head of the Kirijo Group. It's nice to make your acquaintance." Polite as always, I see. "Before I say anything further, however… I'd like to ask: you didn't hear me say anything… untoward, did you?"

Oh. Right. That. "Well, uhh… You could say that," I replied. "Just a bunch of insults and stuff, but… nothing that I'd really be offended over."

Okay, that's kind of a lie. Her illusory words came back to me: _'Still putting on a façade, Arisato? Your empty words do nothing to absolve yourself of blame.'_

I shuddered. That… That really hit me harder than I expected. And not just because they 'came out' of Mitsuru's mouth.

B-But I know Mitsuru would never really say that.

(…I hope.)

"I see… So the host of this tournament is putting us all under some sort of illusion spell," she deduced. "Whatever the reason for this tournament may be, it is clear that the illusions are meant to unnerve us – possibly even get us rifled up for the fights that they want. Quite a disturbing ability…"

"Yeah, I agree," I said. "It's like reading a crack fic with all the people out-of-character—n-not like I'd _know_ anything about that, of course…" I looked away with a blush – I didn't mean to reveal _that_ to her.

"Crack fic? That's a term I've heard Yamagishi use before…" Fuuka reads fanfics? "Are you, perhaps, experienced in the art of writing, Kusumi?"

"O-Oh!" I jumped. "Y-Yeah, actually! I'm trying to be a poet in my spare time. I think I've gotten pretty good at it. I mean, I've had plenty of time to practice." Well, that's if you call two years of being the Great Seal as 'time to practice.' I dug around in my bag—"I've got a few notebooks in here, if you're curious…"

"Oh, no, there's no need to—it was just an observation. If you're as skilled with your pen as you are in the use of your Persona, then perhaps I should take a look at your writings sometime. Being the head of a major conglomerate _can_ be a bit much at times…" I giggled a bit. Gee, really? And here I thought she could handle it perfectly well.

"I'll be glad to tell you when I get my works published, then." I honestly will – I'm still a bit of an amateur, sure, but… I really would like to bring some of my poems to my old friends. (It'd be like a reverse nostalgia trip, of sorts!) I looked back at the door to the Music Room. I think I've spent enough time here. "…I should really be heading after Miss President now. I'd ask you to join me, but…"

"…there happens to be an invisible wall in the way, yes?" Mitsuru finished. "I saw the same phenomenon happen to Amagi after she lost." (Oh, she faced Yukiko before this? Interesting!) "It's not out of the question to assume it happens to all those who lose in this tournament. As much as I would like to join you, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave for a while."

"Yeah, I can see that…" On the bright side, she won't have to stumble through more invisible walls. Does—does that count as a plus? I don't really know. "That must really suck. Probably not as much as deal with all the walls in the hallway, though."

Mitsuru looked questioning. "I see you have a problem with the invisible walls, Kusumi?"

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed, my arms rising to the sky. "They're _everywhere!_ I keep bumping into them! It's a never-ending cavalcade! I don't know how you're supposed to get _anywhere_ with them around! It's a miracle I even made it to this room, honestly."

"Was that your experience? I didn't have quite as much trouble as you described."

"Wait, what?" But—how can that be?

"All the walls did was guide me to this improvised battlefield. Otherwise, they simply blocked off any extraneous paths from that goal. There is no reason you should've had the amount of trouble you described – unless our esteemed host put them there on purpose. You might want to be on the lookout, then."

I snorted. "That might explain it." To be fair, I'm the one who basically intruded on this whole tournament and all, but that doesn't mean all these walls don't _suck._ "I hope I don't encounter as many this time – though I guess I shouldn't hold my breath." I walked over to the door. "Right—I should be off. See you around, K-Kirijo-san."

…it feels weird calling Mitsuru by her last name again. After everything we've been through, it… it honestly kind of hurts – especially since I know she won't recognize me. Maybe after this is all over…

"Hang on." Right before I walked out the door, Mitsuru called out to me. I turned my head to her; she was looking thoughtfully at me. "I don't know what it is, but… there's something familiar about you that I can't put my finger on."

I softly gulped. She's already suspecting something? Well… she wasn't top of her class for nothing, I suppose. "R-Really?" I replied. "What do you mean by that?"

"You seem to have some familiarity toward me, moreso than a simple acquaintance would have." Eep. "In addition, I caught you almost calling me by my first name. That's not an action someone would normally do upon meeting me." Double eep. "I don't know why, but there is something about you that puts me rather at ease – much like an old friend of mine once did. You're quite the anomaly, Kusumi. An interesting one, perhaps, but an anomaly nevertheless."

"An anomaly, huh…?" I gave a little smile. "That's pretty accurate, actually." I mean, under normal circumstances, my consciousness is supposed to be in the Great Seal right now. And that's not even mentioning the whole 'avatar of a goddess' thing… "Describes my life perfectly well. Really, really well…"

For a moment, I let myself reminiscence about everything that had happened – the Dark Hour, Tartarus, SEES, the Full Moon Operations, Nyx… Anomaly might be a bit of an understatement.

That's a Wild Card in a nutshell, I guess.

"Oh?" Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "Interesting that you'd say that about yourself." She chuckled and shook her head. "Very well—I shouldn't keep you any longer. Go find Labrys, and make sure she's safe. And if you see my other companions—you'll know them when you see them—be sure to tell them about me."

"You got it, Kirijo-san!" At last, I rushed outta the room, ready to go find wherever it was Miss President—Labrys—went… and promptly slammed right into another invisible wall.

" _Oh, come_ _ **on!"**_ I shouted, falling on my butt and throwing my hands up in the air again. _**"Seriously!?**_ _What is_ _ **wrong**_ _with you people!?"_

It's gonna be a while before I find Labrys, though.

This is gonna suck.

…h-hey! D-Don't laugh! You try doing this yourself; see how _you_ handle it!

 _Ugh!_

* * *

("She acts so much like him, right before he died," Mitsuru mused as she watched Kusumi stumble out of the room. "Could it be…?

"…perhaps I should investigate this later.")

* * *

 **Round 2 of the P-1 Grand Prix is finally here! Rejoice, everybody! (Jesus Christ this took forever to write. I am truly one of the finest procrastinators out there. Apologies to all those who have been waiting this long!)**

 **This chapter forced me to dive face first back into 'writing accents' territory. Luckily, Labrys doesn't have any massive dialogue quirks – script-wise, anyway. Labrys as a character is interesting—she's the first indication that there's more ASWs than just Aigis (Metis doesn't count), not to mention the whole arc she goes through during** _ **P4 Arena.**_ **As such, it'd be remiss of me if I didn't give her a chance to interact with Marie during this fic.**

 **Marie's second opponent was honestly a toss-up between Akihiko and Mitsuru (Aigis, I'm saving for later). In the end, I decided to go with Mitsuru. I'd rather not have Marie face two physical-focused guys in a row… and also it'd be funny to delay her reaction to Akihiko's… intriguing outfit change. (Like—c'mon. What even** _ **is**_ **that now?)**

 **Well, that's all for now – tune in next time for an encounter with everybody's favorite Wild Card! Woooooooo!**


End file.
